Thanksgiving at the Big Table
by King in Yellow
Summary: You have become an adult when your parents come to your place for Thanksgiving dinner. Ron is in his 'Kiss the Chef' apron, and most stuff is right with the world so let the feast begin. Revised for season 4. Best Enemies series
1. Chapter 1 Pancakes

Boilerplate Disclaimer: Disney owns all the various characters from the Kim Possible series. And cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage. 

NoDrogs created Kasy Ann and Sheki Go Possible in the story A Small Possibility. Their origin has been altered for my stories.

In season 4 the writers gave Kim's mom a first name -- even though they had indicated they wouldn't. I am in the process of revising my stories to reflect that new reality.

**Chapter 1 - Pancakes**

On one level it was an unusual morning at Casa Possible in that all of the residents were up and in the kitchen for breakfast at the same time, even more unusual in the sense that it was Saturday morning and no one had classes or work. The answer to the mystery was the fact Ron, wearing his 'Kiss the Cook' apron, had the large griddle fired up and was customizing his made-from-scratch buttermilk pancakes. Kim and Shego were busy feeding cereal to the twins while they waited their turns.

Ron handed Bonnie a plate with one banana and one chocolate chip pancake, and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "Thanks Ron."

"Who's next?" the chef asked.

"I am," Monique announced. "But I don't kiss the cook."

"Okay, Mon lost her place in line, who's after her?"

"I'll kiss you," Felix said, "My turn!"

Justine gave him a poke, "It's Monique's turn. Save your lips."

"What do you want Monique?" Ron grinned.

"The usual, blueberries."

Felix was not technically a resident at the big house, but since the middle of the summer he had been spending an increasing amount of time there, often staying overnight with Justine.

After pouring batter on the griddle and throwing blueberries into the batter Ron turned to the odd couple, "So, you two have big appetites this morning?"

Justine blushed and Felix protested, "Ron!"

It was Ron's turn to blush, "Ah, I just meant how big should I make your pancakes? I wasn't… you know."

"Yes you were, Ron," Shego interjected, "classic Freudian slip. You accidentally said what you were really thinking."

Ron turned and checked to see if Monique's pancakes were ready to turn -- and to give the topic a chance to die gracefully.

"Is Felix next?" Ron asked after flipping Monique's. "What do you want in yours?"

"What have you got?" Felix asked.

"Chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, blueberries, chocolate chips, and bananas are the big sellers. We're currently out of M&Ms and Reese's Pieces after some unknown redhead made a 'that time of the month' raid on the pantry last week and didn't tell anyone she ate them all. Coconut and pineapple aren't out, but are available. If you want macadamia nuts you'll buy them yourself. The caramel swirl is a bit understated, and the chocolate swirl a bit over the top. Strawberry slices don't work very well, but I think we've got some in the 'fridge. Raisins aren't a great idea. Hey, they're good without anything special in them -- and two plain with a fried egg in between and syrup on top is classic."

"What, no jalapenos and onion?"

"I'll make it, but you have to eat it."

"Um, maybe next time. Can I get a mix of chocolate chips and pecans?"

"Sure, you want a skim milk to drink with your diet special?"

Ron handed Monique a plate with her pancakes. She looked and them and laughed, "Ron, they're perfect!" She gave him peck on the cheek also, "Don't tell Will."

Shego and Kim finished feeding cereal to the girls and gave them banana slices to abuse as Ron took Felix's pancakes off the griddle and started Justine's. "Plain, please," she requested. "Your pancakes are perfect without anything in them."

"Ah," Ron remarked to Felix, "You love a lady with refined and discriminating taste."

"I like to think so. Can I pass on giving you the kiss?"

"That's okay. Maybe I can get two from Oscar."

"No." Justine said. "I just pay for my own."

Kim washed two little faces while Shego poured coffee for herself and Kim. "Anyone else want a cup?" she called.

Justine and Monique each called for a coffee. Shego served them as Kim put the babies into a playpen in the corner of the kitchen.

When served her pancakes Justine blushed slightly and gave Ron a kiss on the cheek, as the rest of the breakfast crowd applauded. The tall woman was starting to fit into the house.

"Don't tell my boyfriend," Justine whispered loudly to Ron.

"Ahem," Felix coughed. "I'm sitting right here."

"I know, dear. I mean my other boyfriend." She smiled when Bonnie and Monique actually laughed at what she said.

"The usual for you, Kim?" Ron asked as he poured batter on the griddle.

"Hmmm… Surprise me this morning. As long as it's not onion and jalapeno."

Shego took a sip of coffee as Kim's pancakes cooked. Then she turned to Kim and asked, "Well, what are we doing for Thanksgiving? Your parents' place or mine?"

Kim hesitated, "Well, we were at your parents' house for a couple days this summer." She didn't really want to talk about the trip, since she and Shego had fought during their time in Chicago. "I was hoping to be with my folks."

"Anyone have room for another person at their table?" Bonnie asked. "I'd rather not go home."

"Will and I were talking about maybe just a little dinner for ourselves here," Monique said. "You're welcome to be with us."

"What's up with you and Will?" Kim asked.

"Well, I don't like being stared at and whispered about at the Du family gatherings. They wonder why kitchen staff is mingling with family. We had Thanksgiving at my house last year. Momma almost accepts that I'm seeing a white guy, but a lot of family comes for Thanksgiving and some of the uncles and aunts were really giving Will a hard time. I think he feels as out of place there as I do with his parents. So we talked about just the two of us celebrating together."

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Bonnie said.

"No problem," Monique assured her. "We weren't saying we just wanted it to be the two of us. We each love our families, but we just don't fit in at each other's family tables. It's Thanksgiving, three would be better than two. Please, celebrate with us."

"How about six?" Felix asked, "I like what you just said. Justine and I were going to eat with my mom. Can we ask her here and you let her see Justine and me being domestic?"

"That would be fun, Felix," Monique assured him. "Justine, do you want to invite your parents?"

The tall woman hesitated. "I think Bonnie and I both suffer from dysfunctional families… I don't want them ruining it for everyone else."

"It's only one day a year. Ask them, we won't hold them against you."

"If you're sure, I'll ask. But I doubt they come."

"No!" Ron declared flatly. "I will not have you people messing up my kitchen cooking a meal for eight."

"Ron!" Monique protested, "It's not your kitchen!"

He raised his hand to silence her, "It is my kitchen. I do the cooking here. We invite my folks and its dinner for twelve. Besides -- what's Thanksgiving without a kid around? You need Hana... Oops, hold on. Shego's pancakes are done."

He flipped her pancakes onto a plate and handed it to the pale woman. She put down the plate, grabbed Ron, bent him over backwards and kissed him on the lips. When she let him up a startled looking Ron exclaimed, "Wow, she gets her pancakes first next time."

"Suck up!" Bonnie shouted.

"Hey, what did you do for him to be first this week?" Shego called back.

As Shego spread butter on her pancakes Kim nudged her, "What do you think? Should we invite my parents here?"

"Hey, it would be fun," Ron said.

"You can ask them," Shego told Kim. "It's three weeks until Thanksgiving. Your mom probably hasn't bought a lot of things yet. How many would that be?"

Kim thought, "Well, that's the two of us and the babies, mom, dad, Jim, and Tim. I don't think Joss is going home to Montana, so that's--"

"Twenty-one, if Justine's folks come and we count the girls as full people."

"Um, Kim?" Shego asked cautiously, "Can I invite--"

"No!"

"Please, he's almost family to me."

"Oh, all right," Kim grumbled. "If I can play poker with him I can sit down to the same Thanksgiving table with him."


	2. Chapter 2 Planning and Preparing

Boilerplate Disclaimer: Disney owns all the various characters from the Kim Possible series. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage. 

**Chapter 2 - Planning and Preparing**

As Justine had predicted, the Flanners turned down the invitation. And to Kim's relief Drakken turned them down also, "I'm having dinner with family at mother's house." Vivian Porter, a late invitation, also turned them down. And with Vivian Porter not coming Kim didn't invite Steve Barkin.

"Jesus, Kim, would you stop trying to match up everyone you know? Those two would have made even less sense than Felix and Oscar."

"Moses, Shego. Will you watch your language?"

"Give me a break, I started learning profanity in the Catholic Church before I ever found out I was Jewish. And will you lay off the matchmaker stuff?"

"They'd have been a cute couple."

"So how exactly does this work? You figure you screwed up your own life so badly with me you want to get it right for someone else, or you're so happy with me you want to spread the joy of love to others? I've managed to avoid Steve Barkin since I got into town. Do you really want him to see me living with you?"

"Look on the sunny side," Kim suggested. "If I can set him up with Vivian Porter you don't have to worry about him any more."

_"Damn it, Kim, what did Viv Porter ever do to you that you'd set her up with him?"_

---

Logistics were not too difficult for seating. They would eat in the formal dining room rather than the kitchen. Ron wanted revenge for years spent at the children's table and suggested a wobbly table in the corner for the parents, but no one took him seriously. Eventually the tables were positioned to resemble one long table with room for all the adults. The two highchairs would be placed in two corners of one end. Kim and Shego would be seated together between the babies with a Dr. Possible on the other side of each grandchild. Ron and Bonnie took the other end, which was closest to the kitchen. Hana had graduated to a booster seat between Ron's parents.

The menu proved more of a challenge, since every family seemed to have its own traditions, and everyone wanted to see their traditions celebrated at the table.

Since Shego insisted on a kosher turkey she was assigned the task of finding and buying one. Ron wondered if they should cook two turkeys, but Monique wanted a ham on the table. Shego protested the ham, but was told she didn't have to eat it and the house voted against the ham ban. On a move aimed at reconciliation Ron promised to use parve margarine and soymilk in the mashed potatoes instead of butter and half-and-half and to keep as many dishes as possible parve or kosher fleishig.

Will's only request was a cranberry sauce he mixed the weekend before Thanksgiving. It required freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh cranberries, and enough other ingredients to draw Ron's attention. Will heated it all in a cast iron skillet until the cranberries burst from the heat. After it cooled down he scooped it into a plastic container, "Take it out of the refrigerator on Thanksgiving morning and serve at room temperature," he instructed Ron. The cultural differences between Will and Monique were underlined by the fact she preferred jellied cranberry sauce, sliced right out of the can.

On the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving the kitchen became pie central. Ron prepared pie crusts while Monique worked on the filling for three pies, two pumpkin and one sweet potato -- based on old family recipes and all three dark with molasses and fragrant with spice. Bonnie followed the directions Ron gave her to produce the filling for two pecan pies. Shego cored and peeled apples for two pies, which would be parve, since the others were all milkig.

Kim and Justine attempted to sit out of the way and watch, but Ron handed them a pound and a half of carrots, two peelers, a knife, and several stalks of celery. "Carrot and celery sticks tonight, they keep in water. You can work on the red and green sweet bell peppers for the crudités and relish trays tomorrow."

Kim wanted to know, "What are we having for dip?"

"Two dips for the veggies, your classic French onion in sour cream, and hummus."

"Is hummus parve?" Shego asked.

"More important," Bonnie demanded, "is it low fat?"

"It's parve," Ron assured Shego. "It's a lot lower fat than the sour cream dip, and the fat mostly comes from olive oil and is pretty good for you," he told Bonnie.

"It smells incredible in here," Justine remarked as the pies baked. "I don't think I've ever had a Thanksgiving like this."

"I don't think any of us will have had a Thanksgiving quite like this," Monique laughed.

"We've got twice as much pie as we need, you know that don't you?" Shego asked Ron.

"I'll make a little bet with you," Ron said. "I bet all pies are eaten by noon on Saturday. Loser has to eat Thanksgiving leftovers for a week."

"I'll take you up on that bet, since the winner will be eating leftovers for a week too."

"Monique, when will Will get here tomorrow?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm not sure. I think he's out on a mission or something. He was supposed to call last night and I haven't heard from him."


	3. Chapter 3 Turkey and Trimmings

Boilerplate Disclaimer: Disney owns the various characters from the Kim Possible series. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. 

**Chapter 3 - Turkey and Trimmings**

Ron was up early on Thanksgiving morning, making dough for dinner rolls. In addition to regular dough he also made a small batch of dark rye. Not all the white dough would be used for dinner rolls, he would also roll out some plain dough and roll out the dark rye, place the dark rye on the white dough, roll them up and produce a loaf of bread with the two swirled together.

He checked over his To Do list. He decided he could wait until after breakfast for the next chore, putting the bird in the oven.

Shego had purchased a massive bird, but they were eating late enough he didn't need to start it for a couple hours. On the other hand, he decided he might as well broth the neck for dressing and cook the giblets for gravy. He also threw sweet potatoes in the oven for their initial cooking.

As other residents of the house woke up they were allowed Pop Tarts or cold cereal for breakfast and given last minute cleaning assignments.

"Who died and made you God?" Monique grumbled as she and Bonnie were assigned the bathroom detail.

"You want me to scrub the tub and you take over the cooking?" Ron asked. It was a threat designed to end discussion.

After the other residents of Possible Manor finished their cleaning chores Ron pulled the sweet potatoes from the oven and put the bird into a large roasting pan. He placed garlic slices and bay leaves under the skin in a number of places, then rubbed the bird with olive oil and sprinkled it liberally with garlic powder, black pepper, poultry seasoning, kosher salt, and extra sage. He tented it with aluminum foil and slid it into the oven.

He then put a cast iron Dutch oven on the stove and sautéed chopped onions and celery in two sticks of parve margarine in preparation for making dressing.

"Dining room is set up," Kim and Shego reported. "What's next?"

"We need to set up a snack table in here, no lunch today. It's strictly noshing until dinner."

There was a sound from the front of the house, and Felix called, "Where is everybody?"

"Back here," Ron shouted

Felix and his mom came into the kitchen and Mrs. Renton exclaimed, "It smells amazing in here. Oh, where shall I put the bottle of wine?"

"I'll take the wine," Ron directed.

Felix held up a pot, "And a vegetable side dish?"

"Leave it on the counter to the left of the stove," Ron called as he found a spot in the 'fridge for the wine. "Does it need to be heated before dinner?"

"Yes."

"Where should I put their jackets?" Justine asked.

"Throw them in the library," Shego suggested.

"You have a library?"

"Well, we have a room that used to be a library. It's looking like that and the sun room will be the last rooms that get fixed up in the house."

While Justine gave the Rentons a tour of the house Monique and Shego fixed the snack table, Bonnie started peeling potatoes with Ron, and Kim took diaper duty.

"Isn't it early to peel the potatoes?" Bonnie asked.

"It saves time later. They keep in cold water -- some of the starch even soaks out for slightly fewer calories."

"Like any of us are concerned about calories today," Shego commented from the snack table.

"And, Bonnie, try to cut the potatoes into more uniform pieces -- it will mean they all get done at the same time.

Bonnie almost said something about anal retentive, then smiled and said, "Yes, dear. I must remember that a man's place is in the kitchen."

The snack table had bowls of chips, crudités with French onion dip, hummus with pita wedges, relish trays loaded with pickled beets and okra as well as sweet and dill gherkins and half a dozen sorts of olives, along with a variety of crackers there were slices of cheese and slices of beef salami and turkey pepperoni, and at one end of the table a variety of soft drinks surrounded an ice bucket and plastic cups.

"I don't think anyone should starve before dinner," Monique said before popping a cracker topped with cheese and salami into her mouth.

"I just hope we have some appetite left for dinner," Shego said as she dredged a pita wedge in hummus.

"Any word on Will?" Shego asked Monique more quietly.

"No, and I'm starting to get worried."

"Want to ask Kim to call Global Justice?"

"No, not yet. I'll give him another half hour."

Ron's mom and dad arrived with another vegetable dish and another bottle of wine that Shego put in the refrigerator. There was so much excitement that Ron worried that Hana might start climbing the walls -- literally.

Ron appointed Monique to the job of preparing sweet potatoes, warning her to use the parve margarine instead of butter. She mixed in marshmallows, brown sugar, and margarine and smoothed the result in a covered casserole dish -- to be heated in the last half hour before the meal.

Ron's parents chatted with him about classes while he punched down the dough and made dinner rolls and prepared two loaves of swirled rye and white bread.

"We are in good shape people," Ron announced. We've got two or three hours to snack and relax, then the crazy hour before dinner."

The Possibles arrived while Ron and his parents were moving into the living room, which seemed to be where those who weren't snacking chose to congregate. Anne Possible joined Rachel Stoppable at the side of the playpen. Hana was big enough that she resented being confined, but she seemed to enjoy having someone smaller than she was to play with.

"So, are you wanting to be a grandmother?" Anne asked, "or has Hana taken the edge off that feeling?"

Rachel smiled, "I think Hana will do very well for me just now. I'm willing to wait a few years until Ron is out of college. But your two are awfully cute."

A phone rang and Monique scrambled to get it. "Was that Will?" Kim asked when her friend came back into the room.

"Yes, he's on his way. He should be here within the hour."

"How long until dinner?" one of Kim's no-longer-so-little brothers asked.

"Ron said three or four hours."

Jim grinned, "Want to play a little touch football to work up an appetite? Tim brought the ball."

Kim, Shego, Bonnie, Monique, Ron, Ron's dad, Jim, Tim, Joss, and Kim's parents all wanted to play, and Justine was drafted to provide an even number. They played on the side of the house opposite the drive. Rachel Stoppable was left in charge of the infants and Felix and his mother watched from the porch.

"What are the teams?"

"We could do Possibles against the world."

"How about men against women?"

"No, without Will we've got seven women and only five guys."

"Sounds fair to me," Tim remarked. "Or do you want us to play with one hand tied behind our backs?"

"You would so get that remark shoved back in your face if you could find enough men to make a team," Kim warned him.

"We'll take mom, then it's six and six," Jim dared her.

The women quickly elected Kim quarterback while the men argued, Ron eventually emerging as the compromise candidate.

The women won the toss and chose to receive. A problem immediately arose when Kim asked Bonnie to center and Kim took up her position behind Bonnie.

"Watch your hands, Possible," Bonnie growled at Kim.

"Please, Bonnie, your rear isn't that good," Kim told her. "Wait a minute." Kim stared at Bonnie's bottom. "Okay, I was wrong. You do have a nice ass. Now center the ball."

"No way! Not after that comment. Somebody else center for Kim."

"Oh, for-- I'll center the ball," Shego grumbled. She bent over and Kim crouched behind her.

"Hut, one. Hut, two…"

Suddenly Shego gave a loud moan of pleasure.

"KIM!" Bonnie yelled.

"Kimberly!" her mother exclaimed, while Joss blushed crimson.

"I'm not doing anything!" Kim protested. "Shego! Tell them you're joking!"

Shego collapsed on the ground, laughing hysterically. "For crying out loud," Tim complained. "Are we going to play football or just play around?"

Shego appeared to take that as a cue and quickly flipped the ball to Kim, who had the good sense to scramble half the length of the yard before most of the players on either side realized a play was being made. Jim was lucky and managed to stop his sister before she scored a touchdown.

"A new rule," Mr. Dr. P announced before the next play, "there has to be two feet of daylight between the quarterback and the center."

Shego wisely decided not to ask him how he planned to measure the distance.

Two plays later Kim threw a pass to Joss, who caught it and scampered for the end zone. Ron was between her and the goal line and managed to scoop her up with one arm and throw her over his shoulder, then run for the opposite end zone.

"Touch-down! Men!" Jim and Tim yelled.

"Doesn't count," the women insisted. "It's touch, not tackle."

"He didn't tackle, he carried!"

Ron, still with a giggling Joss over his shoulder, entered the debate. "It's two handed touch, I only touched her with one hand."

"It's illegal then," Shego insisted. "Play stopped where Ron picked her up and we get half the distance to the goal as a penalty."

Eventually it was decided to move the line of scrimmage to the spot where Ron picked Joss up.

Before play resumed Bonnie pulled Ron aside for a quiet, but stern lecture. "What in the hell do you think you're doing with Joss? Flirting with her?"

"What do you mean?" He hissed back, "We're just playing touch football."

"Are you the only person too blind to see the crush she has on you?"

"A crush? On me? Joss?"

"Yes, you big dummy. And she's going to take you picking her up and carrying her seriously."

Ron wondered if Bonnie was just trying to rattle him. But when the men took possession Joss proved amazingly good at rushing the quarterback. Both Jim and Tim would have bruises after trying to stand between Joss and Ron when he had the ball. And Ron was now nervous about Joss. Ron's dad proved a poor substitute at quarterback, and James Possible didn't even want to try for the spot. On their third possession Kim's mother became the quarterback for the men.

A half hour into the game a car pulled into the driveway, and play stopped after the down as Will got out.

"Come on, you're on the men's team," Monique called as he walked towards the house.

"No thanks, I'll just watch from the porch," Will called. "I don't want to interfere with a game in progress."

Shego glanced at Kim, who silently mouthed, "Left leg." They both noticed he was limping even if Monique didn't.

Justine surprised everyone, including herself, and caught passes, even though she couldn't run. Monique and Shego supplied the running game, along with Kim. Joss proved aggressive on both offense and defense. Bonnie provided defense for Kim by flirting outrageously with her younger brothers, to a point where the two were watching the theatre major more than the woman with the ball.

On the men's team Ron and Kim's fathers spent most of their defensive time guarding the quarterback, they were spared the most forceful of Joss's efforts because she usually tried to go over Ron. Jim and Tim were equally good at pass reception and Ron demonstrated a deceptive running style that usually bought the men a few yards before Joss stopped him.

With no field goals possible and all touchdowns counting seven points the men finally prevailed, forty-two to thirty-five.

"You only won because you had mom as quarterback," Kim complained to her brothers.

"You were wonderful, honey," James said, giving his wife a kiss. "You were the best man on the team."

After the game everyone went into the kitchen for snacks and sodas. Some of the men returned to the living room to watch games on television. Ron checked the bird and announced that the crazy hour had arrived.

Ron took the aluminum tent off the bird, and turned on the broiler. As the skin tanned brown and crisp the heat was turned on under the potatoes. Eggs, broth, soymilk, and spices were quickly stirred together in the Dutch oven with the sautéed onions and celery, then several cups of dried bread, meat taken off the turkey neck, and soy sausage were added to make the savory bread pudding known as dressing.

"Stuffing," Monique insisted.

"Only stuffing if you stuff it in the bird. Make it outside the bird and it's dressing," Ron maintained.

The bird, now browned to perfection, was taken from the oven.

"Mrs. Dr. P?" Ron said, "as the presiding surgeon you were elected to the position of carving the turkey. We let it sit for a half hour. You need to report back then, scrubbed and ready to cut."

Anne laughed and agreed. That would give her time to ambush Shego. She caught the pale woman coming out of the bathroom. "The trial starts in about three weeks. Kim tells me you're optimistic. James and I want to know if you are really optimistic or lying to her."

Shego hesitated. "I am, how they say, cautiously optimistic. But I'm not in as good a shape as I tell Kim. I'm scared Anne. If I spend less than five years behind bars it will be a miracle."

"You're hoping for as little as a five year sentence?"

"No, I'm figuring something more like a fifty year sentence. With good behavior maybe I can get paroled in as little as five."

"You're not going to escape?"

"I… I don't know. I'd like to see my daughters grow up. I'd hate to miss five years of their lives. But if I try to escape I just miss seeing more of them. And I can't expect Kim to wait for me. I'm afraid she's going to find someone else…"

It looked as if the pale woman was going to start crying. Anne pulled her close and gave her a comforting hug. "Why are you optimistic."

"Judge Armstrong tells me not to give up hope."

"You talk with the judge?"

"Well, she's not trying my case. In fact she's agreed to represent me at the trial."

"Alice Armstrong?"

"Yes."

"I've heard her speak. Stay optimistic, Shego. She's good."

"I know, Anne. But I don't think she can walk on water. And unless she can work miracles I can't see myself staying out of prison."

---

Back in the kitchen the broiler was turned off and the oven back on as the bread, rolls, dressing, and sweet potatoes went in to bake. Vegetable dishes brought by parents were heated on the stove. Ron sucked turkey fat up from the roasting pan with a baster and began a roux with the fat and flour in a large cast iron skillet.

With the flour cooked, broth and drippings from the turkey pan were added and Bonnie instructed to whisk like mad to make the gravy smooth.

"We're getting close," Ron told Joss. "Could you see who wants wine and put ice cubes in the glasses for those who want soda?" As soon as the young woman left the kitchen he turned to Bonnie, "What am I going to do?" he whispered.

"Finish cooking," she whispered back.

"I mean about Joss."

"Oh, I'm counting on you looking flustered and making a fool of yourself."

"I'm asking for help."

"Sorry, fresh out."

"Can you pretend you like me? Maybe that will discourage her."

"I do like you."

"I mean; can you pretend you REALLY like me?"

"Do I have to stick my tongue in your ear?"

"Only if you want to."

"What's in it for me?" Bonnie demanded.

"What do you want?"

"Shego says you've got great hands. I want two backrubs and a breakfast in bed."

He gave her a wide grin. "Oh, and that's you bring me breakfast in bed," she clarified, "not, you serve me while you're in bed with me."

"Deal," he agreed. He dumped finely chopped heart and gizzard, mushrooms, and onion into the gravy and left Bonnie to adjust salt, pepper, and garlic powder as well as monitoring the thickness.

People were filtering into the kitchen from the living room to smell the aroma of homemade bread as Monique pulled the rolls and swirled loaves from the oven and put in the ham. Already spiral cut and crusted with brown sugar and clove glaze it required no cooking and just a little warming to be ready for the table.

Kim's mom began the task of carving the bird as Ron worked on plating items and Kim and Justine moved serving dishes to the table.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Kim said as she returned to the kitchen, "Dad, you and Mrs. Renton need to decide which of you says grace."

A huge cloud of steam arose over the sink as Ron poured the boiling water off the potatoes, threw in two sticks of parve margarine, salt, garlic powder, and soy milk and began mashing them.

"Shego, will you get the girls in their high chairs?" Kim asked. "It looks like we're ready to eat."

---

Kim could feel the warmth of Shego's thigh, pressed against her own as they sat together at one end of the table. The redhead looked around the table at friends and family before Mrs. Renton announced, "Let us pray…" It was good to be with friends and family.

---

The vegetables going around the table included broccoli with a little soy sauce and sesame oil, green beans cooked with onion and bacon, collard greens with a ham hock, and zucchini in tomato sauce and Italian spices.

"Did you make the greens?" Jean Possible asked Monique. "They're very good."

"I did not make the greens," Monique declared emphatically. Ron started to open his mouth, but Felix caught his attention and shook his head 'no'. "I think someone is guilty of stereotyping and imagined I wanted some at the table."

"Actually, you may be the one doing the stereotyping," Mrs. Renton said. "They have nothing to do with you. Greens have been on my family Thanksgiving table since 1930.  
"It was my grandparents' second Thanksgiving after their marriage, and their first in the Great Depression. And it was the only food they had on the table. They were genuinely thankful, because some days they didn't have any. They always had greens on Thanksgiving after that, in better times as a reminder of how much they had to be thankful for. My father grew up with the tradition, and he passed in on to me. We have a great deal to be thankful for."

Monique was silent, having learned a lesson in thanksgiving from a woman who husband had died in the same auto accident that left her son in a wheelchair.

---

Ron's parents were the first to revive enough from the feast to drive home, about an hour and a half after dessert. Kim's parents left a half hour later, James Possible extracting a promise that Kim and Shego would be over on Sunday afternoon to play bridge. As the Rentons left Felix's mother threw her arms around Justine and gave her a big hug. "Wow," was all the tall woman could say after they had left.

Will, the only non-resident left, sat in the living room watching another game on television. Shego saw Monique head for the living room and whispered to Kim, "Help Ron with cleaning up, I want to hear what's going on with 'Nique and Will."

Monique was upset enough she either didn't see Shego come into the room, or didn't care. "Okay, why didn't you let me know where you were? And why have you been a wet blanket since you arrived?"

"I was on a mission," Will told her. He fell silent.

"That explains where you were. What about the other?"

He remained silent. Monique glared at him.

"He probably doesn't want you to know about getting wounded in the left leg," Shego casually remarked.

"Will!"

"Shego!"

"No, you don't yell at her," Monique declared. "You tell me what happened."

Will glared at Shego as he kept the story to Monique brief. "The US government may claim it was a blow to terrorism, but we were just trying to break up some human trafficking. Poor Chinese who'd sold everything to get smuggled into this country on a Vietnamese registered container ship. If they don't die on the way over they hoped to make it in, but they'd still owe money to the people who smuggled them in and would work for the rest of their lives to try and pay off the debt -- the interest rate would keep it growing faster than they could pay."

"So, there was a fight with the crew of the freighter?"

"No," Will looked disgusted. "We're trying to save these people from a life of virtual slavery -- and one of them sticks a knife in my leg when I'm not looking. I was an idiot and thought there might be some sort of gratitude. He'd rather take his chances on a sweat shop here than misery in his home country."

"How are you?" Monique demanded.

"I guess it's really not too bad. I can take a month off if I want, but I'll probably just take off a week and head back to do paperwork until I'm ready for the field."

Monique looked to Shego, "Is Kim this crazy?"

Shego nodded.

"Do you worry too?" the black woman asked.

"All the time. It's hard to be in love with an idiot."

"Thanks awfully," Will grumbled.

"Have you ever considered that if it was a little easier to get in legally there wouldn't be quite such a market to get in illegally?" Shego asked. "And, who knows, it might actually make it harder for terrorists who wouldn't be able to use the illegal systems that are around now."

"I'm not sure about that second idea," Will remarked glumly. "Look, I don't make the laws. I'm just in enforcement." He looked thoughtful, then continued softly, "It's really kind of weird. My people came over here and stole the land from the Indians so they could make their fortunes. Then, once they'd made their money they tried to close the borders so others couldn't come in."

"Oh, not exactly true. They let my people in," Shego said. "We came over to avoid starving to death in Ireland -- and got paid starvation wages for working on the railroad when we got here."

"Hey, at least your folk got some kind of wages," Monique sniffed. "And they had a choice -- they could have stayed and starved at home if they wanted. My people didn't get a choice and we didn't get paid at all."

"Why is it everyone is allowed to pick on white guys?" Will complained.

"I think that's obvious," Shego told him. "You've been running the world for what, two thousand years?" She looked over at Monique, who nodded 'yes'. "And this is the best you can do? Time to let women run the place."

"Women and people of color," Monique added. She grinned at Shego, "I'll take green as a person of color."

A little later Kim called for Monique to come into the kitchen for a minute and she left. Shego turned to Will, "You've got to be more honest with her. If you really love her you have to tell her what's really happening with you… Oh, shit!"

"What's wrong?"

"I'm lecturing me too. I'm not as honest with Kim as I should be."

"Looks like we may have something in common besides poker."

Monique came back and asked, "Have you called your mom yet?"

"No," he answered. "I was more worried about getting here to be with you."

"Good answer, but call her now. I called my folks this morning."

Monique snuggled up to the Global Justice agent. He put his arm around her as he called home. Shego left the room as it was answered, "Hello, mom, Happy Thanksgiving. … No, I was on a mission. And couldn't make it. … Yes, I'm sorry I didn't make it home… "

Shego smiled, it sounded like he wasn't honest with his mother either.

---

Kim caught some of another phone call to a mother a little later. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but Bonnie had left her door open. She heard Bonnie "… Yes, I love you too. … I'll try to stop by and see you over the weekend. … Okay, bye." Kim stopped and knocked softly on the door frame.

"You okay?"

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Look, I'm sorry. You left the door open. I was just walking by and couldn't help overhearing some of what you were saying."

Bonnie was staring up at the ceiling, "It's just kind of weird. This is my first Thanksgiving away from my family. On one level I'm so glad to be out of the madhouse I could turn cartwheels. But I dunno… Thanksgiving is a time for family, even if it is a rotten family. Should I have gone home to be with them?"

"I don't know. I hear what you're saying. I think you had fun here."

"I did."

"But you would have liked to see your mom too, maybe even your sisters -- although that might have just been to remind you why you're here the other three hundred and sixty four days of the year."

"You heard me tell mom I'd stop by over the weekend to see her?"

"Yes."

"Do you think I was right to say that?"

"I think you were right to say that."

Kim impulsively gave Bonnie a hug, "But we were all glad you were here with us."

---

Most of the gang was sitting in the living room, watching television. Ron was on the couch with Bonnie seated on the floor in front of him as Ron worked off the first installment of his debt to her.

"You're right, Shego," Bonnie purred. "The man has wonderful hands."

Somehow Ron's task didn't appear to be too much of a burden on him.

"I have to be up early tomorrow," Monique announced. "Busiest shopping day of the year so we're all in at Club Banana an hour before it opens to batten the hatches and all that."

"I'll probably stay 'til the end of the program and then leave," Will told her. Monique leaned over to give him one of their rare public kisses.

"Why doesn't he spend a couple nights?" Kim suggested.

"Kim!"

"Look, I just mean he's welcome to stay on the couch. That's got to be better than going home to lonely bachelor apartment."

"Do you want to stay?" Monique asked.

"I'm not really packed --"

"Look, we've got extra toothbrushes around. Tomorrow you can fight the crowd at Club Banana and pick up some new clothes," Kim assured him.

"We really need to get a couple more beds and put them in the little rooms on the top floor," Shego said.

"I don't know," Kim replied, "those rooms are awfully small."

"It's still got to be better than sleeping on the couch with people walking by in the morning."

"You don't have to make such a fuss for me," Will insisted.

"Not for you," the pale woman told him. "It will be more comfortable for me the next time Kim kicks me out of the bedroom."

---

Shego came back up to the bedroom after taking sheets and blankets down to Will in the living room. Ron had loaned him a pair of pajamas for the night.

Kim and Shego put their arms around each other, "Our first Thanksgiving together," Kim said, giving the older woman a kiss. "It is going to be hard to top this year. Should we invite everyone back next year too?"

Shego took a deep breath. "Kim, I may have some good news and some bad news for you."

"What's the good news?"

"Kim, I think I need to tell you the truth."

"Okay, I take that as good news. What's the bad news?"

"Kim, I think I need to tell you the truth."

---

The End


End file.
